Walgett Aboriginal Medical Service Limited ANNUAL REPORT 2024/2025 68 Funded by: Federal Dept of Social Services – National Indigenous Australians Agency NSW Health – Rural Doctors Network – Western NSW Primary Health Network Celebrating over 39 years of Service since 1986 17 Left: in December 2024 Jilda Andrews and colleagues from The National Museum visited to develop a project about Walgett cultural items held in their collection. Right: Nardi and Lucy Simpson visited later in December with colleagues from the Conservatorium of Music. We continued work with Lucy on various design projects for Galumali and the River Ranger team, and started developing a song project with Nardi. Cultural values maintenance Left & above: DEG continued work with the State Library of NSW – in our project with Michael Bennett in a Fellowship, and fortnightly family history research with librarian Melissa Jackson. Right: Staff and directors benefitted greatly from a conference in Sydney held by our peak ACHAA NSW about indigenous Cultural and Intellectual Property and governance in November 2024. It gave us time to reflect on DEG’s primary role in the Walgett community – custodianship of cultural knowledge, which we hold despite no investment in the resources we need to do this role that underpins many wellbeing and justice outcomes for our community and we suggest governments. 18 Memories Above: During the period we were adjusting to the loss of Speaker Clem Dodd and long-term Elders Councillor Violet Morgan. The staff decided we needed mourning ceremonies to remember and honour each of them, so these were conducted in July 2024. An important process for DEG is producing a learning resource about the history of Walgett Aboriginal Community-Controlled Organisations, their founding philosophies, values and approaches to service design and delivery. Above: Historian Michael Bennett has continued his work trawling through archives to compile a timeline of significant milestones for DEG and WAMS, and hunting for information in the State Library of NSW and through oral history recordings that will later be lodged with the State Library of NSW. When this work is ready, DEG will write and produce the publication. Michael presented DEG’s Rick Townsend a copy of "Uprising" by Stephen Gapps for the DEG’s collection. It details the widespread, coordinated frontier resistance warfare by First Nations people across the MurrayDarling river system in the colony of New South Wales (NSW) between 1838-1844. Above right: DEG celebrated Walgett Aboriginal Connection’s Knockout win.
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